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Estimated lifetime prevalence of trichotillomania in college students
G A Christenson1, R L Pyle, J E Mitchell
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Background:
Trichotillomania, a disorder of hair pulling, has been considered a rare condition. Estimations of the prevalence of this disorder have been based largely on clinical experience, and there have been no estimates of its prevalence based on data collected from a large, nonclinical population.
Method:
2579 freshman college students at two state universities and one liberal arts college were asked to provide written responses to questions designed to practically apply DSM-III-R criteria for trichotillomania and estimate the prevalence of trichotillomania in this population.
Results:
2534 students (97.9% of the study population) responded. We found a 0.6% lifetime prevalence of DSM-III-R trichotillomania for both male and female respondents. Hair pulling resulting in visible hair loss, but failing to meet full DSM-III-R criteria, was identified in 1.5% of males and 3.4% of females.
Conclusion:
Trichotillomania may not be as rare as previously suspected and may affect males as often as females.